Refuge.
A news report is playing, showing a picture of Ironwood with the symbol of Atlas behind him. The news network Atlas Eye has the subtitle "DEVELOPING STORY: GENERAL IRONWOOD HALTS MANTLE EVACUATIONS" displayed on the bottom of the screen.
"With still no word from General Ironwood, Mantle citizens are frightened and perplexed by the sudden withdrawal of military personnel, especially given the massive Grimm horde outside the kingdom" A Reporter said as images of various flying Grimm as well as the Monstra are shown on screen "I've… never seen anything quite like this".
In the background, civilians can be seen evacuating in the streets. Joanna is seen looking over it before turning around to notice the news team.
"It truly feels like the end of days, but the Atlas Eye is committed to updating the public, until our dying-" Suddenly, Joanna grabs the microphone from the reporter " Wha-? Hey, wait!".
Joanna stabs her weapon in the ground and glares at the reporter, startling him. She then looks to the camera and starts speaking "Citizens of Mantle, General Ironwood has abandoned you, but we have not! If you can hear this, gather any food and supplies you need to stay warm, then head to the Mantle crater".
While she speaks, Mantle citizens are leaving their homes and making their way down the streets to safety. A pair of Atlesian Knight-130s are investigating Pietro's pharmacy, but they are gunned down by Yang, accompanied by Lucina, Lyre, Jaune, Ren and Oscar.
"The Grimm are starting to make their way back into the city, but we can hold the line if we all come together. If we don't, well… you've all seen what's waiting for us out in the storm. It's time to show your teeth, Mantle" Joanna said as she walks away from the camera and shoves the microphone back into the reporter's hands.
At Pietro's pharmacy, Yang opens a door to a darkened room. Jaune finds the light switch to turn it on.
Yang gasps and smiles in glee upon seeing what is in the room "Alright, the others are definitely missing out".
Out in the streets, Yang, Jaune, Lucina and Ren pilot several hoverbikes, with Oscar riding backseat with Yang and Lucina doing the same with Lyre. Yang then notices a ramp she wants to jump off of.
Oscar began panicking "Yang! Yang, no! No!".
He was too late. Yang jumps off the ramp and uses Ember Celica to fire a round off the wall and do a flip in midair on the hoverbike. As Yang smiles at the thrill, some of her hair gets caught in Oscar's mouth, which he tries to spit out. They land safely back on the ground. Jaune and Ren exchange a look, with Jaune bumping over a piece of debris. Lyre smiles at Lucina who managed a small smile in return. As they continue their ride through the Mantle streets, they are unwarily being watched by a Grimm-like figure perched on a bridge overhead.
Lucina could sense something was wrong... but had no idea what.
Later on, Ren is shooting a security camera with StormFlower, disabling it. Oscar helps evacuate people, knocking on the doors of people's homes. They gather a large group of civilians.
Jaune is doing a fist bump handshake with a child, before looking to his parent "Only take what you need".
Yang is standing before the large group of civilians.
A Mother speaks up "The crater? Are you sure it's safe out there?".
Yang gave her an reassuring smile "Absolutely ma'am".
Suddenly, she hears people screaming behind her. They are seen running away from a pair of Sabyrs. They charge forward.
Jaune runs up and takes out a unique device that charges up "Heads up!".
Jaune throws the device a distance away, with it activating a large hard light shield upon impact that prevents the Sabyrs from going any further. As they try to claw at it, Ren comes in from above and stabs them with his blades, causing them to dissipate. The shield deactivates and Ren kicks the device back to Jaune's shield, which uses gravity dust to make the device stick to it.
Jaune smirks "Way better than a hover bike".
"Have the Grimm already pushed this far in?" Oscar asked.
"No, I think those were more from last night. Still… Ren! If Jaune hits you with his Aura Amp, think you can mask everyone?" Yang asked.
Ren looked slightly annoyed for a second before answering "We can give it a shot, but it is a lengthy trip through Mantle".
"If we take to long, these people will be targeted by the grimm" Lyre said.
Jaune does not reply immediately, as he gets distracted by a crying child "No, no, that's a great idea. We'll have a Grimm free journey all the way to the crater".
A Disgruntled Grandmother speaks "Do we really gotta shack up with those animals down in the slums? I'd feel a lot safer being up in Atlas".
Lyre looks away, and Lucina felt a brief urge to slap that old lady for such an comment.
Yang glares at the old lady "Yeah, I'm sure you would. But the people up top have decided you're not worth the trouble. The Faunus, on the other hand, have been willing to lend all the help they can. Regardless of whether or not you deserve it".
The Disgruntled Grandmother looks at the ground.
The Mother steps in before further arguments could break out "So, I'll just… I'll just go get our things then".
The group of Huntsmen and Huntresses guide the people throughout the streets of Mantle using Ren's Semblance.
Disgruntled Grandmother "I don't want to go to the slums".
Mother "Mother!".
Disgruntled Grandmother "General Ironwood said we were going to Atlas".
Mother "You're setting a bad example!".
Disgruntled Grandmother "Those kids should…".
"Ma'am, the grimm can't sense us, but if you don't keep it down, they could still hear us. Now please, you're making this harder than it needs to be" Lucina warned, making no attempt to hide her growing annoyance.
The Disgruntled Grandmother looked down "She didn't need to yell at me".
Mother "Mother, it's fine. It's fine".
The Grimm from earlier observes the group from atop a faraway tower, eyeing two of them specifically. Ren's aura becomes sporadically visible around the people. Jaune looks at Ren, who is holding on to Jaune's shoulder in order to enhance his semblance.
"Hey, you good?" He asked.
"It's just a lot to focus on" Ren answered.
"You can do it Ren. We're almost to the Crater-" Jaune began until Ren cut him of.
"I don't need a pep talk. I need to focus" He said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Jaune looks away "Right".
Lucina touched her chest in pain, making Lyre look at her "You good?".
"I'm fine... Chest just feels heavier" Lucina answered.
"Maybe once we get back to the crater, you should have some rest" Lyre suggested.
"Thank you Lyre. But there are people in far worse trouble than me. And I can't abandon them" Lucina said.
Lyre sighed. Lucina's dedication to helping people is all well and good... but if her health continues to decline, she will only be in more and more danger.
Elsewhere in Mantle, Penny is standing on a rooftop, taking a long look at the civilians making their way to the crater. Behind her, May is removing the Chain to a fence with a label that says Authorised Personnel Only. Weiss, Ruby, Severa, Blake, Bernadetta and Nora watch May as she opens the gate.
"Alright, come on" She said.
Penny turns around as Weiss, Severa and Ruby walk in before following them. Nora, Bernadetta, Blake and May soon follow
Nora pauses next to May "Thanks again for coming".
"Don't mention it. Once Robyn learned about Amity Tower, she wouldn't shut up about it. Wherever she is, I'm sure she would want us doing what we can to get it up in the air and get the world talking again" May Closes the gate once everyone is on the other side "Besides, Fiona's got your friends helping out in my stead".
Nora looks away "Yeah".
The group head towards what looks like a factory.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Ruby asked
Inside, numerous robots are seen manning devices next to large, slightly transparent tubes. A package goes up one of the tubes with an audible whoosh. The robots do not react as the group walks in.
"Snow Shoe Shipping is an SDC subsidiary, meaning all the drones here report to the company, not the general. The pneumatic tubes allow for Dust refined in the crater to be sent straight up to Atlas. We just need to find the one for the military base" Weiss explained.
"Are there any buildings in Atlas that your family doesn't own?" Blake asked Nora giggles at the comment.
Weiss looks at Blake with her eyes half closed "That, isn't relevant at the moment".
"Her family does own a lot. My father even wanted me to marry her brother in hopes of gaining something from the Schnee name" Bernadetta said.
"You marrying that brat? Now that is really a frightening though" Severa said as she ruffled her partner's hair.
Bernadetta pouts and Blake giggles as well before the group disperses. Penny stops to stare at a panel that says Terminal Destination: Atlas Academy.
Ruby walks up to her "Hey".
Penny turns her head to look at Ruby, who approaches her "I do not like it when friends fight".
Ruby looked down for a moment "I know. Yang and I may not agree on how best to save Mantle but-".
"No. I mean Winter. The general. They were our friends. But then the Ace Ops attacked you" Penny looks at the ground "And the general, he said people were going to die, because of me".
Ruby turns Penny around to look her in the eye "That was a lie. And he was only saying it to hurt you."
"I was the protector of Mantle, but now, I am much more than that, and I wish I was not" Penny said.
"But, you're still you Penny. By becoming the Winter Maiden you did protect Mantle" Ruby said.
"Thank you Ruby" Penny said and Ruby gives her a hug.
Meanwhile, Severa looked around with Bernadetta. The smaller girl looked at her and noticed Severa was clearly distracted.
"Are you... ok?" Bernadetta asked.
"I'm fine... If you are worried about me and Yang, then don't be. We're family, and sometimes family fights. I'm sure we'll both be over it once we meet again" Severa answered, though her tone didn't sound to reassuring.
"What about Blake? You two have barely spoken since all the bad stuff happened" Bernadetta said.
Severs looked at Blake for a moment and sighed "I'm not ignoring her... not willingly anyway... I just... don't know what to say".
"Then don't think so hard about it. Just talk to her and see where it goes from there" Bernadetta said.
Severa looked at her before smiling "Sometimes I forget how much you've grown".
"Well, I had to grow up at some point" Bernadetta said as she smiled back.
"I found it!" Nora called out.
Slowly, the group makes their way to Nora.
"I suppose there's no turning back now" Blake said.
"Between our secret weapon, and my Semblance" May becomes invisible for a second "You all couldn't be in better hands".
"So how do we use this thing?" Nora asked.
Weiss makes her way to the tube and sits where the cargo is loaded "It should be simple. If you lie back in the tube and press launch-".
Nora presses a button on the nearby console, sending Weiss up the tube, causing her to scream in surprise. As the others look on with bewildered expressions, Nora expresses joy at the sight.
Back at the crater, a group of civilians are brought down to the crater via an elevator, as Joanna makes her way inside a tent. Inside, Fiona is seen writing notes on a map while talking to someone through her earpiece.
"No Crimson, I need you and your team over in Sector 11. Mantle police are helping us clear the hospital, but they're going to need backup" Once the conversation is done, Fiona sits down with a sigh.
Joanna throws some fire dust at a small furnace "You're doing great Fi. Robyn would be proud".
Fiona uses her semblance to store the map "I feel like you should be doing this after flexing on the news like that".
Joanna chuckles "How else was I supposed to get the word out? Besides it seems to be working".
Dorothea walked in holding her throat in clear discomfort.
"Are you alright?" Fiona asked.
Dorothea coughs a little "Using my semblance to keep so many people calm puts a real strain on my voice...".
Joanna puts a hand on her shoulder "Rest up for a bit. We'll handle things from here".
Dorothea nods and her friends eventually make their way out of the tent to inspect the latest group of civilians.
"Where's this group coming in from?" Fiona asked.
Lucina, Lyre, Jaune, Yang, Ren and Oscar make their way towards them.
"That would be Sector 7" Yang answered.
"You cleared 7 already? That's great! To be honest, I wasn't sure how you'd be doing without all of your teammates" Fiona admitted.
Ren turns around and walks away from the group while Jaune watches him go.
Yang frowns and crosses her arms "Well, as you can see we're doing just fine".
"But where are you putting everyone?" Oscar asked.
Fiona looks at Joanna, who gives her a nod "We're working to get most of them settled in houses or other shelters. A large portion of the community is also trying to get old mine shafts into a livable condition".
Various civilians are seen settling in while they talk.
"We've got a lot of people to keep warm. Looting the SDC refineries is our best source of Dust. Fortunately no one's getting arrested during the apocalypse" Joanna looks up at Atlas "Just knowing those Grimm are circling out there doesn't feel great. What are they waiting for?".
Fiona's uncle walks up to the group in a panic "Fi! We got another fight breaking out".
"Crap. Thanks uncle! We'll handle it..." Fiona said, sounding tired.
Joanna puts a hand on Fiona's shoulder "I'll handle it. You've got enough to worry about".
Joanna Walks away while cracking her knuckles before a voice is heard from Fiona's earpiece "Fiona? Crimson again. We spotted a decent sized group of Grimm moving in from the east. Can't take them with all these civvies".
Fionna pulls the map out with her semblance to inspect it "Oh, for crying out loud".
"Did he say east?" Yang said as she readied her weapon.
Yang is riding her hover bike in the city while being chased by a Teryx. Ren and Oscar are following them on a side street while sharing another hover bike, with ren as the driver.
"Ready?" Oscar pulls out a device that looks like a stick grenade.
Yang takes a couple of shots at the Teryx to slow it down "Now!".
Yang passes a rock bridge where the Grimm-like figure from earlier was perched. It decides to quickly dash off of the bridge before the Teryx collides with it.
Ren turns right and cuts in between Yang and the Teryx, allowing Oscar to throw the grenade in the Grimm's path. It explodes in a flash of wind dust, launching the Teryx into the stone bridge, breaking one of it's wings and knocking it to the ground.
Yang turns her bike around and smirks at the Grimm. She moves the bike to the the side, allowing Jaune to charge at the Teryx while standing on his hover bike, with the barrier dust on his shield active. He successfully decapitates the Grimm, after which he has some trouble maintaining his balance on the bike. He lands on it properly while giving a nervous chuckle.
Yang contacts Fiona with a sigh "Okay, Fiona. That's one more problem taken care of".
Fiona "Good, cause we're getting reports of more Grimm coming in from the west. The Huntsmen there could really use some backup".
Yang sighs as she slumps in her seat "Okay. We're on our way".
"It's all the negativity. Salem's forces aren't moving in, but it's enough to start attracting the stragglers" Oscar said.
"Guys, we're not finished" Ren said, sounding tired.
Three Sabyr appear and charge towards the group.
Yang got ready "All right. We need to hurry this up and take-".
The Sabyr's look to their right before turning back and running in the opposite direction.
"What just happened?" Ren asked in shock.
"They ran. I've never seen Grimm act that way before" Jaune said.
"Yeah, doesn't grimm normally fight to the death?" Lyre asked.
"But what were they running fro-" Oscar is suddenly tackled from above by the Grimm originally perched on the bridge, knocking both him and Ren off the bike. Oscar tries to stand up only to be bitten by the arm and get flung to the ground once more.
"Oscar!" Ren called out in worry.
Lucina was about to help, but the pain in her chest suddenly increased massively. Stopping her from moving.
The Grimm pounces on Oscar with all its weight, causing his aura to shimmer. Oscar tries to kick one of it's legs away, only for The Hound to bite it knock him to the ground a third time. With a final swipe with its paw, Oscar's aura breaks and he goes unconscious. The Hound howls, before its body begins to twitch and spasm. It's body pulses and morphs, as Jaune looks on in horror. The Hound stands up, revealing that he assumed a bipedal form in order to lift and hold the unconcious Oscar with one hand.
Yang finally wakes up from her stupor and charges the beast, preparing to punch it "Oscar!".
The Hound holds up Oscar as s shield. A look of panic crosses Yang's face before she grabs the handle in order to try to turn away from the grimm. The Hound catches her with it's other hand and throws her at a nearby wall, cracking it.
Ren takes a couple of shots at The Hound's back, causing it to turn around and be stabbed by the grappling hooks of Ren's guns. Ren reels the hooks in, intending to kick the Grimm. The Hound's right hand pulses before it grows longer, allowing it to whip Ren off of his bike and into another wall. Jaune Prepares to charge in as well, before The hound lifts Oscar in between it and Jaune
"Wait! It's using Oscar as a shield" Yang said.
"But Grimm aren't that smart" Jaune said.
Lucina fought through her pain and charged at The Hound. The large grimm looked at her before letting out howl. Lucina stopped and grabbed her chest.
"AH! My chest!" She cried as she fell on her knees.
"Lucina!" Lyre ran up to her and grabbed her "Lucina, are you alright?!".
"It hurts... IT HURTS!" Lucina screamed as her hand was digging in to the ground "Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!".
Suddenly Lucina's eyes turned blood red as she screamed... and a magical blast flew out of her body, knocking her friends away.
Lucina's eyes turned back to normal before she collapsed on the ground, unconscious. The Hound walked up to her and picked her up. Ren picks up his guns and aims at the Grimm. The Hound overhears and places Oscar in between it and Ren while keeping Lucina away... like he was protecting her.
"Give them back!" Ren demanded.
The Hounds neck pulses and shifts "No".
Ren, Lyre Jaune and Yang look on in shock as the Hound starts to walk away from the group.
"Did it just...?" Jaune asked quietly.
The Hound pauses, it's back pulsing and morphing again. Several cracks could be heard as it twitched and howled. With a final roar, black ooze erupts from it's back to reveal wings. One such drop falls on Oscar's face.
It grabs Oscar with it's mouth, and holds Lucina with an arm before taking off to the skies.
Yang lifts herself up as Fiona contacts them through her earpiece "Kids, what's your status? West side's taking damage".
"What do we do?" Ren asked.
Fiona "Kids. What's your status?".
Lyre, Yang, Ren and Jaune scramble in order to follow The Hound on their hover bikes.
"We've got an emergency, we're not going to make it" Yang answered.
Fiona "What? What kind of emergency?".
Yang pauses for an moment "You wouldn't believe me if I told you".
The Hound is flying away. With both Lucina and Oscar in it's grasp... their friends desperately trying to catch up.
.
Tell me what you think.
